Read WS article on healthy properties of wines including polyphenols (resveratrol, saponin, and such) and the discovery and research conducted by Dr. Sinclair. Living in France for 5 months, I was absolutely amazed at the amount of cheese and enriched bread consumed, and the overall health of the general population. Twas the reason why I moved from micro/mexican beers to wine in the mid-90's. Too bad it takes 17 glasses of wine to get the RDA of resveratrols!

Bucko has studied that subject extensively in his other life as an MD. He's enlightened us here on his views several times in the last few years and I trust his learned opinion more than most (but don't tell him that).

But there are those who question the amount of attention devoted to resveratrol. "The focus on resveratrol, or any one component of wine, is unfounded," says Tedd Goldfinger, a senior cardiologist at the Tucson Heart Center in Arizona. "Studies have shown that the broad effect of wine is independent of any single compound."

He hit the nail on the head. It is much more complicated than just polyphenols. Alcohol alone stimulates the liver to produce more precursors of HDL cholesterol, which is the good, cardioprotective cholesterol.